Mars Petcare Site Receives Three Million Man Hour Safety Award

MIAMI, Okla., April 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Mars Petcare's Miami facility is being honored with the Three Million Man Hour Safety Award from the Oklahoma Department of Labor for accumulating three million work hours over seven years without a lost day away from work due to a work-related injury or illness.

Mars Petcare is celebrating this significant safety milestone with an interactive Day of Safety and luncheon for its Associates to honor the site's achievement and commitment to creating a safe work environment. Chris Benge, Chief of Staff for Governor Mary Fallin, will present the Mars Petcare team with a state proclamation from Governor Fallin, with additional remarks from Miami City Manager Dean Krutih, who will present a city proclamation. Miami Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve Gilbert and Mars Petcare Miami Site Director J.R. Smith will also speak. Also in attendance will be Paul Peepers, Oklahoma Department of Labor Assistant Director of Safety Standard, Brian Forrester, Ward 1 Councilman, Neal Johnson, Ward 3 Councilman and the Galena Fire Department.

"The state of Oklahoma is proud to be the home of Mars Petcare," said Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. "Mars Petcare has been a strong corporate citizen, and has made a great impact on the local economy. Congratulations to Mars Petcare and their 80 hard-working associates at the Miami facility for seven years without a single day lost due to a work-related injury. Workplace safety and health is critical, and it's an incredible milestone to reach. It is a testament to the dedication and leadership of every person who works there."

Throughout the day, Mars Petcare Associates will go through several training stations with safety professionals, including the Galena Fire Department, to continue learning about various ways to stay safe and focus on their commitment to remain accident free in the workplace.

"Not only does today mark seven years at our Miami site without a lost day away from work due to work-related injury or illness, we're also celebrating 20 years of Mars Petcare manufacturing at the Miami site in Northeast Oklahoma," said J.R. Smith, Mars Petcare Miami Site Director. "Today, we celebrate going home each day to our relatives the exact same way we showed up and remind ourselves that preventing future safety incidents starts with us."

Mars Petcare has always strived to be a company that great people in Northeast Oklahoma want to join, stay and grow with, and this commitment to safety is one of many ways the company is delivering on that endeavor.

"The Miami, Oklahoma community appreciates the 20-year track record of success that we are celebrating with the Mars Petcare Miami operation," said Steve Gilbert, President & CEO of the Miami Regional Chamber of Commerce. "We are honored to recognize Mars Petcare's amazing milestone of 7 years with no accident or incident. I know I speak for our business community, the Chamber Board, and our partners at the City of Miami, Northeast Technology Center and countless others in saying 'thank you' to the local and corporate leadership of Mars Petcare for remaining a top Miami, Oklahoma employer, creating quality consumer products and making continuous capital investments and other contributions to our community, region and the state of Oklahoma."

Mars Petcare's Safety CommitmentOutside of Miami, Mars Petcare continues to be a global leader in food and quality safety by giving back to all of the communities in which it operates, and safety is a continuous area of focus and improvement for Mars Petcare. This achievement for the Miami site comes on the heels of additional safety recognition earlier this year. In February the Mars Petcare Fort Smith, Arkansas, site was awarded with the Two Million Man Hour Safety Award from the Arkansas Department of Labor for accumulating two million work hours over five years without a lost day away from work due to a work-related injury or illness. The company has made the safety of its Associates a non-negotiable, striving to provide Associates with the education and skills necessary to establish and maintain a safe work environment at all of its locations. Earlier this year, the company was named one of the World's Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work by Fortune magazine for the seventh consecutive year.

About Mars Petcare USMars Petcare is the world's leading pet nutrition and health care business. A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS® is the vision statement held by Mars Petcare as we believe that pets make our lives better and that pet ownership brings joy and benefits which should be accessible to everyone. In the United States, Mars Petcare food brands include PEDIGREE®, IAMS®, ROYAL CANIN®, GREENIES®, CESAR®, NUTRO® and SHEBA®. Veterinary practices include BANFIELD® and BLUE PEARL®. Specialty brands include WISDOM PANEL® Canine DNA Tests and WHISTLE® GPS Pet Tracker. The company's WALTHAM™ Centre for Pet Nutrition is a leading scientific authority on pet nutrition and wellbeing. Mars Petcare has more than 37,000 Associates worldwide. For more information about Mars Petcare's vision: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS®, visit https://www.facebook.com/ABetterWorldforPets.